You Will Pay

It starts as a prank - a way to blow off steam after a long summer at Camp Horseshoe. Among the teen counselors, tensions and hormones are running high. No wonder the others agree when Jo-Beth Chancellor suggests they scare Monica O'Neal a little.... or a lot. Monica has it coming, and no one will really get hurt. What could go wrong? Everything.

Toni R. says:"Waste of a credit. No mystery here, I figured it out before finishing first chapter."

Dead End Girl: Violet Darger, Book 1

A serial killer stalks women in rural Ohio. He is deranged but brilliant, known only by the grotesque nickname the media has given him - The Doll Parts Killer. The name is apt. He dismembers his victims and leaves them in garbage bags in public places. A residential neighborhood. Next to a roller rink. Behind a Burger King. The investigation is a disaster. No physical evidence. Unreliable witnesses. To make matters worse, the FBI has lost contact with the star profiler working the case.

Deep Freeze

Former movie star Jenna Hughes left Hollywood for an isolated farm in Oregon to get away from fame. But someone has followed her-an obsessed fan whose letters are personal and deeply disturbing. While Jenna’s already shaken up by what she’s seen on paper, she’d be terrified if she knew what Sheriff Shane Carter is investigating. It’s a shocking case that started with the discovery of a dead woman in the woods.

Final Scream

When she was only 16, Cassidy Buchanan fell for the 19-year-old bad boy in town, Brig McKenzie, who'd had his share of run-ins with both the law and the local women. Then a terrible fire killed Cassidy's sister, and Brig, the chief suspect, was forced to run away. Seventeen years later, an eerily similar fire seriously injures Cassidy's husband, Chase, who happens to be Brig's brother. With the earlier fire still an open case, suspicion turns to Cassidy, the only unharmed person connected to both tragedies.

The Drowned Girls: An Angie Pallorino Novel, Book 1

Detective Angie Pallorino hasn't forgotten the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card - crosses etched into the flesh of his victim's foreheads. When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes. Could he be back?

The Shark: Forgotten Files, Book 1

At the grisly murder scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum's past roars back to haunt her. When she was a teenage runaway, she was kidnapped, drugged, and left unconscious on the streets. She has no memories of what happened, only strange recurring dreams of two men playing cards. Former FBI agent Clay Bowman, Riley's old flame, is Shield Security's newest member. He's plagued by the unsolved case of a serial killer nicknamed the Shark who murdered girls as part of a sadistic poker game.

If She Only Knew

Marla Cahill survives a horrific car accident, but comes out of it with near total amnesia - unable to recognize her own face. Now, confined to the Cahill mansion among strangers who claim to be her family, she begins fearing for her life. Someone was counting on Marla's death in the accident - and they may finish the job the moment her memory returns.

Closer Than You Think: Faith Corcoran, Book 1

Psychologist Faith Corcoran is desperate to escape the stalker who's made her life a nightmare for the past year--desperate enough to run to the one place that has been her nightmare for far longer. Both boon and bane, her recent inheritance of her grandmother's old house in Cincinnati offers a sanctuary in which she can start her life anew but requires that she face dark memories that resonate to this day.

Most Likely to Die

It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that....

You Don't Want to Know

In Ava’s dreams, her son, Noah, looks just the way she remembers him: a sweet two-year-old in rolled-up jeans and a red sweatshirt. When Ava wakes, the agonizing truth hits her all over again. Noah went missing two years ago, and his body has never been found. Almost everyone, including Ava’s semi-estranged husband, Wyatt, assumes the boy drowned after falling off the dock near their Church Island home. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah’s disappearance.

Wicked Game: Colony Series, Book 1

Twenty years ago, wild child Jessie Brentwood vanished from St. Elizabeth's high school. Most in Jessie's tight circle of friends believed she simply ran away. Few suspected that Jessie was hiding a shocking secret - one that brought her into the crosshairs of a vicious killer.

Come Sundown

The Bodine ranch and resort in western Montana is a family business, an idyllic spot for vacationers. A little over thirty thousand acres and home to four generations, it's kept running by Bodine Longbow with the help of a large staff, including new hire Callen Skinner. There was another member of the family once: Bodine's aunt, Alice, who ran off before Bodine was born. She never returned, and the Longbows don't talk about her much. The younger ones, who never met her, quietly presume she's dead.

No Easy Target

When an enemy from her past threatens to return, Margaret Douglas must go on the run. But danger is in hot pursuit, and Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has to not only survive, but defeat evil and prove she's No Easy Prey in this high-octane thriller.

Say You're Sorry: Morgan Dane, Book 1

After the devastating loss of her husband in Iraq, Morgan Dane returns to Scarlet Falls, seeking the comfort of her hometown. Now, surrounded by family, she's finally found peace and a promising career opportunity - until her babysitter is killed and her neighbor asks her to defend his son, Nick, who stands accused of the murder.

Cover Your Eyes

At first, they struggle to escape. Then a torrent of blows rains down upon their bodies until their eyes cloud over in final agony. The killer shows no remorse - just a twisted need to witness each victim's last terrified moments. Public defender Rachel Wainwright is struggling to reopen a decades-old case, convinced that the wrong man is in prison. Homicide detective Deke Morgan doesn't want to agree.

Close to Home

Vowing to make a fresh start, Sarah McAdams has come home to renovate the old Victorian mansion where she grew up. Her daughters, Jade and Gracie, aren’t impressed by the rundown property on the shores of Oregon’s wild Columbia River. As soon as they pull up the isolated drive, Sarah, too, is beset by uneasy memories - of her cold, distant mother, of the half-sister who vanished without a trace, and of a long-ago night when Sarah was found on the widow’s walk, feverish and delirious.

You Belong to Me

When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body with its face so badly damaged it is unrecognisable by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh. When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number '1' is unclear, but it's evident that someone is demanding Lucy's attention.

The Seventh Victim

It's been seven years since the Seattle Strangler terrorized the city. His victims were all young, pretty, their lifeless bodies found wrapped in a home-sewn white dress. But there was one who miraculously escaped death, just before the Strangler disappeared. Lara Church has only hazy memories of her long-ago attack. What she does have is a home in Austin, a job, and a chance at a normal life at last. Then Texas Ranger James Beck arrives on her doorstep with shattering news: The Strangler is back....

Publisher's Summary

Lisa Jackson's novels of romance and suspense race up the best-seller charts.

In Left to Die, the Pinewood County Sheriff 's Department is on the trail of a cold-blooded killer who acts as a savior to women stranded during terrible mountain snowstorms before stripping them of their dignity and leaving them to die, a victim of the elements. But the killer's latest victim managed to escape, leading some to believe there may now be an imposter on the loose.

This was my first Lisa Jackson book and I really enjoyed it. It was fast moving, had a good plot and I connected with the characters. What I found most frightening is that a nut job, serial killer is walking among the public and no one is the wiser. There are actually two different stories going on surrounding the brutal killings and parts of the story are told from inside the mind of the killer. A little romance mixed with suspense is always fun and in this case dangerous. At the end of the book our killer is still on the loose and none of the detectives nor the FBI can figured out the strange clues he is leaving behind.

I will definitely be reading on in this series and am very interested in how many of the characters are brought back in the next book. Alan Nebelthau does an excellent job narrating. No weird voices or dialects except for maybe the killer who he makes very creepy.

What could Lisa Jackson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Lisa Jackson could have finished writing the novel, not copped out with a flimsy conclusion to one story arc, and then not setting up a conclusion to the main story arc, only to leave us hanging with no resolution to Pascoli's family crisis or to her ultimate fate or that of the serial killer. I feel ripped off! If this is typical of Jackson's work, then I won't go near any of her other novels.

The narrator doesn't pause appropriately and goes directly from one part of the story to another without even taking a breath. It's very difficult to follow and I was constantly going back to figure out what I missed. Because I had to keep going back, the story seemed like it didn't flow well and was disjointed. But I think that was mostly due to the narrator.

Any additional comments?

I was curious about the rest of the books in this series; however, it's the same narrator. I think I'll skip them.

I was an avid reader of books before my work took most of my time so now I listen to Audible books when I'm exercising or walking my dog.
I like mystery and thriller novels, particularly good serial killer novels.
I'm a writer and a psychotherapist.

I had to slow the recorder down in order to listen to the book at all. Even slowing it down didn't change the voice, which was a terrible narration voice and didn't change between characters. The good news is that the story is so intriguing and there's so much suspense that I listened to the entire book in spite of the narrator. I would have given this book a five based on the story, how tightly written it is with no drag time, except for the narrator and that the book leave the listener dangling, which I didn't appreciate. I had to come back to Audible to download the second book in this series just to find out what happens.

The two lead detective's characters are well-drawn. I want to know more about them and another couple, which is a good sign. What I didn't like was, first, that excessive description at places had me drifting off as the murderer rhapsodized about unnecessary and distracting details. Second, it is annoying that you have to buy the sequel to finish the story that was the purported primary focus of the book. (Having not read the sequel, I can't be sure the story finishes there either, but you get the point.) I'm fine with series and trilogies, but this approach is pretty deceptive.

What other book might you compare Left to Die to and why?

This is in the vein of Karen Rose or Karin Slaughter, but not quite up to that standard.

What aspect of Alan Nebelthau’s performance would you have changed?

A female narrator, given that it seemed most of the dialogue was women. Of course, perhaps I dozed through parts . . .

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I had planned on giving this book 5 stars because it kept me guessing and changing my mind about the guilty party until the very end.....and I'm still guessing. I do not appreciate buying a book that requires me to buy yet another one just to find out who did the crime in the current one. This is just a very sneaky and underhanded way to get more money out of the author's readers. I am not sure I will buy the follow up to this book. It's just too much like a bait-and-switch scam.

Would you consider the audio edition of Left to Die to be better than the print version?

Not really. The narrator could have done a better job of reading. At least with the print version you are able to place yourself into the world the author created. It's hard to do that with the way the narrator tells the story.

What other book might you compare Left to Die to and why?

I really can't compare this book to any other book because i haven't read one like it before.

What does Alan Nebelthau bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does not bring anything to the story. I could read the book and imagine the story a lot better than i did while listening to it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I don't know what the tag line should be. I think I will leave that up to the professionals.

What made the experience of listening to Left to Die the most enjoyable?

I decided to try this author because of the reviews of her books (and because my regular authors do not have any new books to read/hear). I am SO happy that I did! This book kept me wanting more... the story line is excellent and I had to find excuses to listen more (headphones on while cooking... working..... etc...etc....)<br/>I bought more credits just to start the next book in the series... Great job Ms. Jackson!! <br/><br/>Great job to the narrator, Alan Nebelthau too! Actually, speaking of the Narrator, Alan Nebelthau sounds a lot like the Narrator, George Guidall of the "Walt Longmire" series of author Craig Johnson? (Another series I listen to - but the third Longmire book really isn't working for me.... we shall see....)